A baby giraffe is born at Perth Zoo, Western Australia
By Judy Evans
@JudyEv (339199)
Rockingham, Australia
October 8, 2019 7:11am CST
There was some good news on our TV this evening. A new giraffe has been born at Perth Zoo. He is 169cm tall and took just 20 minutes to stand up and try out his long legs. It is the second calf for the mother, Kitoto. She was brought to Perth Zoo in December 2016 to be mated to Armani as part of the Australasian giraffe breeding program. Giraffe numbers in the wild have dropped to fewer than 80,000.
I wrote about giraffes here in 2018 but I’ll repeat some interesting facts as we have had a lot of new people join since that time.
• Their heart weighs ten kilograms (22 lb)
• They give birth standing up
• There are eight subspecies, each with a particular coat pattern and colour
• The tongues is long (45 cms or 17.7 inches), blue and muscular. They can clean out their nostrils or ears with their tongues.
• To maintain blood supply to the brain, the blood pressure is double that of a large mammal. To prevent excess blood flow to the brain when drinking, valves in the jugular veins come into play.
• Because of the gravitational weight of the body fluids, the lower legs are encased in a very tight sheath of thick skin which maintains high extra-vascular pressure.
Photo credits:
Top left Masai giraffe with leaf-shaped patches. Courtesy Yoky CC BY-SA 3.0 ( from Wikimedia Commons
Top right: Reticulated giraffe Courtesy: Oceancetaceen Alice Chodura [CC BY-SA 3.0 ( from Wikimedia Commons
Bottom left: Rothschild giraffe: © Hans Hillewaert /
Bottom right: Rhodesian (Thornicroft) giraffe
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)],
33 people like this
33 responses
@LadyDuck (471188)
• Switzerland
9 Oct 19
@JudyEv I am only 1.60 m., Mom was 155 cm and her mother the same. No one was tall in my mom family, but this was the average height of Italian women until the late 60s, now they are taller, my niece is 1.78. The mom of my father was 1.72 and she was considered a very tall woman.
3 people like this
@crazyhorseladycx (39509)
• United States
8 Oct 19
congrats 'n that new babe! i 'dore giraffes :) most fascinatin' how their blood can be stopped like that, eh? we used to've a reticulated here 't our lil zoo. dunno if'n such still resides there? prolly ought'a go see some day. find 't most depressin' 's no funds 've been spent to give the critters proper housin' fer any 'f their species. well, not 'entirely true, they've a lil prairie dog town 'ncased'n concrete, filled with dirt...
thanks much fer sharin' this lovely news, ms. @JudyEv.
2 people like this
@crazyhorseladycx (39509)
• United States
9 Oct 19
@JudyEv oh, i'd so love to visit such! our's 'tis very ol', seems ne'er updated. the critters're mostly 'ncaged'n chain link enclosures - either barren dirt floors 'r partial concrete. 'tis most depressin'. the big cats 'n sun bear used to jest pace back'n forth all day. jest broke my heart.
the zoo'n albuquerque 's man-made natural habitats fer their critters. trees, grasses, waterfalls, boulders 'n lil hills. they seem quite content, particularly when compared to the poor souls here.
wish i could jest climb 'nto that pic, ms. judy! thanks so much fer sharin' this with me. jest look 't those babes!
1 person likes this
@JudyEv (339199)
• Rockingham, Australia
9 Oct 19
@crazyhorseladycx This is from the same open-range zoo. Our zoo has some lovely areas now but the animals are able to hide from the public if they want to - which is fair enough.
1 person likes this
@Fleura (30312)
• United Kingdom
9 Oct 19
@JudyEv I guess they sort of slither out, but it's still a long drop. You can see a birth here
The Memphis Zoo staff welcomed a baby reticulated giraffe born today around noon on August 29, 2008. *WARNING: This video shows the ENTIRE birth. Female gira...
1 person likes this
@allknowing (135732)
• India
9 Oct 19
That's a lot of info on these beauties. I like Giraffes.
2 people like this
@allknowing (135732)
• India
9 Oct 19
@JudyEv Indeed they are and I am told they are safe to be around too
2 people like this
@JudyEv (339199)
• Rockingham, Australia
9 Oct 19
@allknowing They certainly seem very gentle.
2 people like this
@Fleura (30312)
• United Kingdom
9 Oct 19
@JudyEv It is sad although I have mixed feelings about breeds, they were obviously bred for a specific task which no longer exists. Should I feel sad that there are so few otter hounds left, for example, or glad that otter hunting is no longer acceptable?
1 person likes this
Wow!
@Alexandoy (65308)
• Cainta, Philippines
8 Oct 19
That's good news for animal lovers.
2 people like this
@dgobucks226 (35552)
•
9 Oct 19
Such odd looking creatures yet their uniqueness makes them an attractive animal to see. I would bet a favorite sight at the zoo!
1 person likes this
@JudyEv (339199)
• Rockingham, Australia
10 Oct 19
@dgobucks226 They also have an 'adoption' programme where you can pay a small amount and 'adopt' a particular animal for 12 months. You get updates on its welfare.
1 person likes this
@dgobucks226 (35552)
•
10 Oct 19
@JudyEv That's cool to have the public participate in the naming!
1 person likes this
@JudyEv (339199)
• Rockingham, Australia
9 Oct 19
All the different species have either different patterns or slightly different colourings.
